Odisha And West Bengal Prepare For Cyclone Dana: What It Means For Your Travel Plans As Landfall Nears

Drawing from the most recent updates, Cyclone Dana is heading towards India’s eastern shores. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the cyclone will make landfall in the state of Odisha between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port on the morning of Friday, October 25. It is reported that most of the people from the areas are already evacuated.

Odisha And West Bengal Prepare For Cyclone Dana: What It Means For Your Travel Plans As Landfall Nears

Read More: Dunedin Airport In New Zealand Implements 3-Minute Farewell Rule: What You Need To Know

Current Situation And Forecast

Cyclone Dana is rated as a "severe cyclonic storm," with landfall maximum winds of up to 120 km/h expected. The cyclone is said to be located at a distance of 260 km to the southeast of Paradip and 290 km to the south-southeast of Dhamra as per the IMD. The system has evidenced rapid intensification and is tracking Northwest at about 12 km/h.

The concerned authorities also predict that the easing coastal confines of Odisha and southern West Bengal may also receive heavy showers as the landfall embarking process begins, the evening of October 24. This rainfall pattern is likely to increase flooding and landslides occurrences particularly in the depressingly low-lying regions. The wind and rainfall of the cyclone will be at its highest concentration during landfall, presenting a multi-hazard situation to the regions being affected.

Flights And Trains Cancelled

In view of the approaching Cyclone Dana, the Indian Railways has also suspended quite a number of passenger train services between eastern and south eastern sectors on the 24th and 25th of October.

In the same vein, the Kolkata airport has issued a notice informing its passengers that no flight shall operate for a period of 15 hours from 6 PM on the 24th of October. This has been necessitated by the weather conditions and is aimed at protecting passengers who are likely to encounter adverse weather conditions with predicted winds of between 60 and 80 kilometers per hour along with rain in the region.

The IMD has also placed all sea activities including fishing in the Bay of Bengal due to depression active over the region. Fishermen had been warned of returning back to shore earlier than without any warnings and getting stuck in the storm.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Head of the Odisha government, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, has revisited plans made by the state government and their preparedness and said that it is very important to save citizens along the danger zones. As observed on Wednesday night, only about 30% of the 3-4 lakh people who were believed to be residing in such areas had been evacuated. In addition to Wolaita, it is anticipated that cyclone shelters, with minimum facilities, will be able to accommodate and equip around 10 lakh of the relocated population.

Given the torrential downpour expected in these regions along with high-speed gusts, the IMD has given a red alert to many districts including Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur. Other districts such as Puri and Khordha have also been alerted with orange and yellow alerts in which the adverse weather conditions are forecast albeit to a lesser degree.

Team For Emergency Response

It is envisaged that the possible impact of the cyclone will be properly controlled as back to back emergency response 24/7 war rooms have been established at several centers including Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. This is to facilitate the participation of different sectors of the staff such as operations, signalling and telecommunications, engineering, the Railway Protection Force, and others aimed at achieving immediate action on cyclone consequences. Such teams have been sent to strategic points to enable fixing of the railway tracks, signalling, and electrification in the aftermath of the cyclone.

To oversee the arrangements in both Odisha and West Bengal, more than 600 personnel have been sent to within the territories while the emergency response strategy also incorporates plans to avail diesel locomotives to enable the trains to continue operations during power failures. Heavy equipment units as well as relief vans are also on stand by for immediate deployment.